In the headquarters of the kingdom of Talmak
1 rustard (rst) is equivalent to 1.4 cm
To say the land in the kingdom Talmak was awe-inspiring would be an understatement. Just look at the lush green mountain range where cattle could roam free range, eating all the grass they could possibly desire. Where the mountains reached such tremendous heights that they could be spotted all the way in Drakan. Or be it the bustling streets of Jina, the capital of Talmak, with smells that would make a full man’s stomach rumble (or, in the case of the Talmak empire: korg’s stomach rumble). The particles of spice would escape from their ceramic prisons and drift on a journey up the nostril of passers by. It was almost as if those particles of spice worked as marketers who went out into the streets to tell drag people into their stall.
Don’t forget about the opaque ‘glass dome’, however. Although it’s clear the leaders of the Talmak empire clearly want you to. They claim it’s an ammunition factory but only a fool would give in to a lie like that. Only a select few people know the the mystery of the concealing glass wall. Of course, there are rumors passed from forked tongue to forked tongue but no one knows what really goes on inside. People claimed to hear noises that belonged to some sort of animal. No one could know for sure. Whatever was being held in that prison, was being kept there for a very good reason.
On this particular occasion in the kingdom of Talmak, however, there was no time to indulge in the greatness of the land or the mystery of a strange glass dome. Just a few months prior, the Talmak miners had come across a shocking discovery when out in the mines harvesting pountz. A short Korg (which, if you knew more about Korgs, you would know is a very uncommon occurrence) stumbled into the world’s most valuable resource, kulk. He was just out in the vast emptiness of the underground tunnels with his pickaxe when he bumped into a strange, orange like substance. He dismissed it as clay, although his keen eye told him something was off. He turned it in to his superiors, and after close examination, scientists declared it to be only the most powerful and priceless material on Gamush. A rustard cubed (rst³) of this material would be enough to power 3 cathropods for 1 year of non stop flying. Or . . . hovering. Ever since their discovery, Talmak had been making steady but breakthrough advancements in trade, military and infrastructure, and they didn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
. . . .
“We make reasonable demands as always, Lixus. It is a requirement of you and your country to comply with our requests and taxation.” Professor Prehorse, who was in charge of the economy and finance at Tharn, flicked an innocent yet uncomfortable smile at King Lixus. The king and (soon to be) queen were growing tired of paying taxes to the Kingdom of Tharn in exchange for ‘kindness’. The word kindness here, is used mockingly since most people wouldn’t call threatening invasion a kind act. Not least blackmailing world leader with such actions.
“And comply we shall then. We will pay to you what is rightfully yours, eh?” The hint of sarcasm in the voice of the Talmak king hinted that he believed nothing was rightfully theirs. Prehorse’s lips curled downward shifting into an unhappy shape (although grimace or a sly grin would of suited his body better). He was a short man 5, 1, maybe 5, 2, and he spoke as if he had a permanently blocked nose. He slurred over all his words as if playing with them, in a way that could quickly drive you mad and his voice could be compared to that of a nerdy schoolboy who believed he was the smartest in the room. He always wore a long, ragged cloak, which he tied around his body like a cape. He also had an enormous nose which didn’t compliment any of his other disproportionate like his gray, uncombed hair which fell down to his shoulders. If you didn’t know of his power and stature, you might confuse him for a 60 year old homeless dwarf. However, If you ever spoke a word, or even spoke the edge of a word, about him being a ‘dwarf’ to his face: you’d wish you’d never been born.
“Very well, very well,” professor prehorse slurred proudly with his maddening voice. It was as if he were declaring victory over the Talmak and all of their Korg population. “And what would one such as yourself believe to be rightfully ours?” It was clear by the tone of voice at which he spoke those last few words that he knew that there would be a great difference between what he thought was his and what they thought was his.
The King stood up from his gold plated throne to add emphasis to what he was about to say. “You seem to be a bit confused, huh? Word not for I will cover up any doubt you might have professor. I swear by this, this month I shall give to you exactly as I gave to you last month, the month before that and the month before that too!” Lixus remained standing up, expecting a red face or at least a shout from the strange Professor. Instead, he received a smile.
“No, no, no, that just WON’T do,” Prehorse moaned, the loudness of his voice increased with each word. “You see, I have very clear orders from our good friend Queen Maria to up the kulk we tax from you, and, well, let’s just say she doesn’t like it when she doesn’t get her way. So,” he concluded as he got up and began to exit the room, “here’s what I’ll do. You’ll give us the kulk we have requested in 3 days. Or, we chop of your head.” The professor let a grimace spread over his face, and a little laugh escape his mouth as he turned around and walked out.
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“Not so fast!” Amandla (the soon-to-be queen) who had until this point been sitting quietly spectating, rose up from her throne next to her fiancé. “na stamatísei” she hissed like a snake
“Amandla. You should not have done that,” he shouted The Queen was too infuriated to care. She was red in the face now as she dragged her white cloak behind her. She walked up to Prehorse (who was now frozen due to the freeze spell) and placed her face close enough that he could feel her cold breath on his cheek.
“If you ever talk to me or Lixus like that again,” she whispered in his ear, “I’ll be using more than just a freeze spell. I’ll tear you apart, Limb. By. Limb.”
“Let him go now, Amandla. That’s enough.”
“I think I’ll let him reflect on what I just said.”
“Let. Him. Go.” The tone of the king’s voice was so compelling that she had no choice but to do as she was told.
“Perpatíste,” she whispered in his ear, “Run along now.”
“You’ll pay for that dearly,” a cross and disorientated Professor Prehorse whined as he ran off into the distance.
Extract from a guide to Gamush species:
Korgs are native to the country of Talmak. With over 99% of the population being korgs, it’s fair to say that you would definitely stick out if you weren’t one. A male korg will average out at around 6,6 while a woman would be around 6,0. They’re a light shade of blue and stand out for their forked tongue and the scales on their cheeks, which allow them to extract and store oxygen from water. They can also store enough oxygen to last for 20 minutes without breathing, although this skill is rarely showcased. They have 2 stomachs but only have to eat as much as normal humans do. Their biggest skill is their strong sense of smell, which is why you will find that Talmak is filled with spices galore.
“That was foolish, Amandla I thought you’d know better.” It had been 2 hours since the events with Professor Prehorse. King Lixus was in his chamber, giving a telling off for the spell Amandla had cast earlier. “ I thought I could trust you to attend one of my business meetings.”
“I’m sorry,” she said solemnly. “For not killing him,” she added under her breath.
“He’s exploiting you and you won’t do anything about it. Can’t you see, you have to stop him?”
“I wish it were that simple. You’ll grow wiser and wiser and you’ll soon come to realize the truth. There is no way to stop him. There is no way to stop Queen Maria. You just have to do as they say. I wish there was another way. But . . .”
“But what?” Amandla spoke in a softer tone now. She was eager to learn and know more. It was clear that she would stop at nothing to find a way to help Talmak. Although. something told Lixus she was not all about saving Talmak. She had other intentions.
“But those in power stay in power. It’s just the way of the world. I’m afraid I don’t see any other option for us to survive other than complying,” the king sighed as he lay down flat on their bed.
“I do, the glass dome!”
“What goes on in there is a secret. If it gets out it could tear Gamush apart” King Lixus dismissed her idea monotonously, as if every idea there could be, was already thought of.
“We can use kulk to build the greatest army ever. We’ll trade for the resources, and we’ll be ready to fight them.” There was an eager ambition in the soon-to-be queen’s eyes. It was scary. It wasn’t the right sort of mindset. Something hinted that she didn’t want to do that to protect her country, but rather to conquer Gamush.
“It’s too late, we wouldn’t be able to do all the trades necessary in the course of three days. They’ll take our kulk and keep us weak. They’ll keep us weak for the rest of our days. It’s the only way they can get power.”
“Wait, here.” Amandla jumped off the bed she was sitting on and rushed out the door. Lixus was left to himself, all confused. He thought about Amandala. She had a real lust for power, which she disguised as a love for her country (which he knew that couldn’t be so, as her country hated her.) They often shouted racist remarks at her which was customary for anyone not of their native species. It caused a big dispute among the kingdom when everyone found out the King was marrying a bannie (anyone who was not of Korg origin).
She came back in carrying a rst³ of kulk. “Have a look at this fine piece of kulk. Only 1000 more of these are needed to pay Queen Maria what is rightfully hers.”She handed the cube of kulk to him, and he examined it with a confused look on his face.
“Where did you find this, I didn’t know we kept kulk here at Talmak HQ.” The tone of voice with which Lixus spoke suggested he thought Amandla was keeping a secret from him.
“It is pure kulk, though, correct?”
“Let me have a look; orange, right texture, feels right, looks right. Yes, this is clearly kulk so do tell me, where did you fi-”
“Ah-ha,” she interrupted with a cunning tone. “I’m a genies.” A smug look crossed her face.
“Well, go on then. Explain”
“What you hold in your hands is not kulk at all. It is, in fact: clay. You couldn’t notice that, could you? Here’s the thing, they can’t either. What if we give 1000 blocks of clay to the Tharn kingdom and save the kulk to trade to build a larger and greater army.” You could tell Amandla was rather proud of herself.
“But they will inevitably notice. By doing that, we are setting ourselves up to a war. The second we give them the clay, the war will have begun. WE WOULD BE AT WAR.” The king was far from happy when the idea of war was brought up and he spoke as if Amandla was crazy.
“Yes, but there’s something different this time. When they come knocking on our borders, we’ll be ready!” She spoke these words was with such gusto that the King was taken aback by her confidence. “We could rule the world,” she whispered. “Think about it.”
“Darli-” Before the king could even finish his sentence, Amandla had leaned over and was smothering him with a kiss. She beckoned for him to stay quiet and relax, as she wouldn’t let him talk anymore.